Sitting on the beach at Hoi An with a beer in hand right now after arriving here just after lunch. Five days on the back of a bike is enough for me physically but the experiences have been priceless. Hoi An is very touristy and I feel very uncomfortable amongst the ‘foreigners’ despite being one myself. I’m sure there are some nice ones. The water is beautiful here but cold I am told.
The day started typically with a breakfast of scrambled egg, coffee and mini french stick before hitting the road. We’re still on the Ho Chi Minh road and the scenery continues to impress. It’s beautiful jungle-covered mountainous country supporting the lives of various different hill tribes. Village after village
is evidence of their unique lifestyles. We call into a family who have a timber-cutting business. Father and sons are operating a big bandsaw to slice up a large bit of timber. They handle the operation very cautiously and Hero explains it’s because some of the timber they process can have metal schrapnel from the war embedded. The bandsaw would desinticrate on contact with the metal with dangerous consequences.
Next village and another family business. This time it’s rice paper. Outside of the kitchen are many drying racks, each with about 21 perfectly circled paper-thin rice papers dring in the sun. Inside there is the cook working over a hot smokey stove in an unbearably hot kitchen. With a special ladle she scoops up a sloppy mix of rice powder, water, oil and perhaps some sugar and drops onto a gently convexed hot plate. And with great skill she uses the bottom of the ladle to shape the mix into a perfect circle. This cooks briefly before picking up and placing on a rack. A second lady takes the circle of rice paper from there and onto a drying rack, which are placed in the sun. This is definately a dry weather operation.
We arrive in Hoi An and the end of the bike tour, around lunch time. Hoi An is popular with tourists for the beaches but also for the many tailor shops here that can provide you with tailor-made clothes for very reasonable prices. Hero takes me to one and straight away I’m measured up by a very cheeky young girl for shirts, trousers and shorts to be made to my shape (not easy). I return for fitting tomorrow and they will be ready for me the following day – amazing!
angusmccoll 